Schmiesing A., Emonet A., Gouhier-Darimont C., and Reymond P. Arabidopsis MYC Transcription Factors Are the Target of Hormonal Salicylic Acid/Jasmonic Acid Cross Talk in Response to Pieris brassicae Egg Extract.
The authors alerted the editors of Plant Physiology to irregularities in their publication and have taken the initiative to retract their article, with agreement from the Journal. Irregularities were uncovered in which proteins bands of Figure 4C were inappropriately duplicated and rotated as evidence for the wrong samples in Figure 4A. Further examination revealed that the wrong bands, which are thought to result from cross-reactions with the MYC2 antibody, were selected. The same error was repeated in Supplemental Figure S4. In addition, the original data for Figure 4, A and C, were not retained. The Reymond laboratory has since carried out additional experiments to find that the anti-MYC2 antibody that was used in the study is not specific. The claim that MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 are degraded in response to egg extract treatment therefore is not supported by the data currently available, and the conclusion that the insect eggs suppress jasmonic acid-dependent immunity by targeted degradation of MYC transcription factors is not sound.
The authors regret any inconvenience or trouble that this action may cause and apologize sincerely to the readers, reviewers, and editors of Plant Physiology.